


Emerald

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, I Tried, I'm sorry this is probably awful, M/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Rated T for swears, jily, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23988553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Lily lashes out at James more harshly than usual, she feels awful, so she apologizes. This makes her realize that maybe the Marauders aren't so bad after all. A friendship (and maybe something more) is sparked.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this isn't my first time writing fanfiction, but this is the only one here (for now) because I deleted the rest. They were awful. This is probably awful too. I hope it's okay and I'm not just wasting your time. Nice comments and kudos (only if you liked it) are much appreciated.

Lily Evans gathered her books, parchment, and ink, and prepared to retire to her bed for the night. She had a Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL tomorrow, and she needed to get a good sleep. She was making her way to the stairs that lead to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory when she was stopped by none other than the World's Biggest Prat himself, James Potter. 

"Hey Evans," he said, one corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile. Some girls might've found it endearing. Lily found it annoying.

"Fancy going to Hogsmeade Saturday?" he asked with a wink.

"Yeah. I love Hogsmeade." Lily replied coolly.

James gaped at her, eyes wide. He'd clearly not expected her to agree. "Really?"

"Of course. Just not with you."

Lily's friend Marlene, who was seated on a nearby couch, snorted. James's friends chuckled, enjoying seeing their friend embarrass himself.

"She's rejected you more times than I can count, but it never stops being funny."

"Shut up, Sirius, or I will _siriusly_ stab you." James grumbled.

Sirius held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I surrender. Calm down, mate."

Lily sighed. "I'm going to bed." She turned to Marlene. "Goodnight, Marls."

"'Night, Lils!" Marlene replied.

"Sweet dreams, Lily flower!" James called, grinning at her.

Lily rolled her eyes, walking up the stairs. That boy just didn't give up.

* * *

Just a day after that encounter, an hour past curfew, Lily Evans sat on her bed, sobbing. The curtains were drawn and she'd cast spells that wouldn't allow anyone outside her bed hear her cry. She needed to be alone right now. She didn't need sympathy.

Lily hugged her knees and sniffed. How dare Severus say that to her, his (then) best friend? She head that awful word in her head over and over again, the word that he had said with such disgust, with such hate.

_Mudblood._

_Mudblood._

_Mudblood._

She knew he'd had that prejudice pounded into his head because of his upbringing, she'd always known that, but she'd hoped that her friendship with him could change that. She really thought he could change for the better.

How could she be so _stupid_? 

Their friendship had been pretty shaky when Severus had become friends with that nasty group of Slytherins that meddled in the Dark Arts, but they'd made it through that (although she had never approved of those friends to this day). Lily knew that this time was different. She didn't know if she could ever forgive him, let alone continue being friends with him. It wasn't her fault she'd been born into a Muggle family. She used to think that Severus didn't care either. At the very least, she thought he'd never have the audacity to deprecate Lily for it. Clearly, she was wrong.

James... well, James wasn't any better. Of course, he didn't look down on Muggleborns like Severus did, but his arrogance was disgusting, not to mention the fact that he was a huge bully.

His obsession with her was very irritating. Why did it have to be _her_ that he always bothered? She wished he'd get a girlfriend so he'd leave Lily alone. He could easily get a girlfriend; he was a popular Quidditch player, but for some reason she couldn't fathom, James wanted Lily.

Lily grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. She'd have to spend time with Marlene, Dorcas, Alice, and Mary tomorrow- her _real_ friends. They knew how to cheer her up.

Lily lathered on hand sanitizer (she was very hygienic) and lay down on her bed. How could she have thought Severus was better than this?

* * *

James was thinking about something he'd never really thought about before. James Fleamont Potter, who was known for his greatness and his arrogance, was thinking about improving himself. For Lily.

After the events that took place earlier that day, James came to the shocking realization that Lily did not like his arrogance (hey, he thought he was being charming!), and that she especially did not like his pranks and jokes, or, as she called it, his "bullying".

"Reckon she'd like me if I acted less arrogant and pulled less pranks?" James asked the other Marauders.

"I don't think she'll ever like you, mate." Sirius laughed, and Remus groaned.

"Shut up, Sirius. James, I'm not sure if she'd like you if you tried to better yourself, but I think it's worth a try. I definitely think her opinion of you would improve, though. Besides, even if she doesn't like you after that, it's always good to improve yourself." Remus said with a smile.

"Aw, Prongs, just please don't become _boring_." Sirius whined, making his trademark puppy dog eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't. I'll just be more humble and we'll play less pranks and jokes, especially around Evans."

Peter snickered. "I don't think you could ever do that."

"Silence, peasant! Now, all of you, humble me!" James ordered.

"Your hair will never be as amazing as mine." Sirius said immediately.

"Ouch."

"You're not even McGonagall's favorite." Peter piped up.

James scoffed. "Uh, yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Everyone knows Minnie's favorite is Moony. He actually does his work, and he's really smart." Sirius argued.

"Fine, you're right." James said with a pout. "Moony's turn."

"Snape beat you in three exams last year."

James clutched his chest. " _Ouch_! That one really hurt." he moaned. Remus smirked.

"That really hurt my pride and all, but I've still got tons of arrogance left. After all, how humble can a star Quidditch player be?" James said.

"Okay, fine. How about we just jinx you every time you say something arrogant?" Remus suggested, taking his wand off his nightstand and pointing it at James. "Unguiculi crispum!"

James's fingernails grew about five inches and twisted until they resembled very curly talons. James bit back a shriek. "Change them back, Moony!"

Remus preformed the anti-jinx, and James's fingernails returned to normal. "There."

James inspected his fingernails. "I don't like this idea." he grumbled.

"I do!"

"Me too!"

"It's settled." Remus declared. "Henceforth, we will jinx James if he says anything conceited."

James groaned. "Fine. For Lily."

"Now let's go to sleep. We have our Potions OWL tomorrow, and I don't want to be even more tired than usual for it."

"Okay, _mother_."

"Shut up."

"Fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I hope it's okay so far! I have a plan for the rest. Constructive criticism is appreciated but please be nice and stuff. Also, I made up my own spell. It's literally Latin for "fingernail curl".


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is a very short chapter, but I kept putting it off and I really needed to get something published. I have another chapter planned that should hopefully be up very soon.  
> I apologize if this is a little sloppy, when I was finishing it up (aka like a minute ago), I didn't have access to a laptop, and I had to use *shudder* my phone. I'll probably edit it later.

Lily buried her face into Marlene's shoulder. Alice, Mary, and Dorcas were next to them, comforting Lily. What Snape had said to her... well, saying it hurt didn't cover it. The words had stung. They'd shaken her to her very core. Please don't get the wrong impression; Lily Evans was not a weak girl. In fact, she was quite the opposite. Her flame-red hair matched her fierce personality. (James greatly admired this about her. "Look at my Lily flower, she's so strong," he often marveled.)

Yeah, Lily was far from weak. Crying over this didn't make her weak at all. If anything, it just proved how deeply she cared for her friends, how much they meant to her. And her best friend had insulted her, shunned her, scorned her for something beyond her control. Something she believed he thought didn't matter. That's why she couldn't let this go, couldn't forgive him. Severus had gone too far. He had rejected her offer to help him, insulting her instead. He had made her feel useless. Lily sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, hon." Marlene rubbed Lily's back, soothing her. "He didn't deserve you as a friend."

"He was my best friend before I even s-started Hogwarts." Lily choked. "I c-can't believe he'd do this to me."

"Lils, I don't know how he could do that either. You're the sweetest person I've ever met. You're better off without him." Alice said fiercely.

"Thanks s-so much. I love you girls." Lily sniffed, pulling away from Marlene to sit down on the couch.

"We love you too." Mary smiled warmly.

"So much." Dorcas added.

"Hey, what do you say about going to the Three Broomsticks on our Hogsmeade trip tomorrow? I think we could use some Butterbeer." Marlene suggested.

Lily smiled. It was a watery smile, but a smile all the same. "Good idea, but I think I could go for some Firewhiskey."

Her friends smiled and chuckled. "There's our Lily."

* * *

Later that evening, Lily was sitting in the Great Hall eating dinner with the same group of friends she'd been with earlier, laughing and joking about stupid stuff. Severus's stinging words were forgotten, even if it was just temporarily. She was beginning to realize that they treated her better than Severus ever had, that they were better friends than he'd been.

But just as she was beginning to feel better, Lily saw something that made her good mood crumble, something that reminded her of the incident. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were walking into the Great Hall, an aura of arrogance radiating off of them, as always. Lily's face darkened.

"Hey Lily, how are you holding up? Snivellus giving you any trouble?" James asked.

Remus elbowed him. "James, don't be so insensitive." He cast an apologetic glance at Lily. "I'm sorry he's such a prat."

Lily managed a smile at him. Remus was the only Marauder ( _the Marauders_ was the dumb name they'd given their group) she actually liked. They studied together sometimes, and they were always friendly to each other. She'd asked him once why he hang out with them. _They're really not that bad, Lily,_ he'd said seriously. _You should give them a chance._

Lily didn't want to give them a chance. They were bullies. How could they be good people when they hurt innocent people? For fun? _Well, not all their victims are innocent,_ Lily thought. _Severus isn't exactly a saint._

Still, that doesn't make it okay, and Lily was well aware of this. She detested their cruelty. 

"Lily?" Sirius's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "James was apologizing."

"I don't want his apology!" Lily snapped.

"Lily, you could at least hear him out, okay? There's no harm in seeing what he has to say." Marlene said softly.

"Ev- Lily, I'm sorry I was hurting Snivellus, even if he is a prat. I'm going to try to- to stop messing around with people."

Lily had never heard James trip over his words before. A small part of her thought maybe he was being genuine, but she brushed that aside.

"It's not 'messing around', James. It's 'bullying'. And don't tell me you want to get better. I know it's not true."

James flinched. "Fine," he said. "I'll leave you alone, okay?"

The Marauders walked away, Peter, Remus, and Sirius looking stunned by Lily's harsh words.

"Lils... that was really harsh of you." Dorcas said quietly. "Maybe he's not the greatest person ever, but it wasn't fair to say that to him."

Lily didn't reply, but she knew Dorcas had spoken the truth. Telling someone they couldn't change, couldn't improve themselves, that she didn't even think they had it in them to try... it was an awful thing to say, and she knew it.

She buried her face in her hands. At least tomorrow she could indulge in some of the world's best Firewhiskey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I hope that wasn't terrible. It's three in the morning and I'm sure I'll wake up and discover that this is a hot mess.  
> I hope you don't mind that Lily is acting really rude. I just feel like "the incident" would make her act weird for a while. I definitely don't think Lily is usually anything but super sweet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is actually fun if you have motivation, who knew?  
> There's more Remus/Lily friendship in this chapter, because I just adore that friendship.  
> There's also some Wolfstar in this one, for exclusively self-indulgent purposes. I love them.

"You have to apologize to him." Alice said firmly, taking a sip of Butterbeer. "You won't feel better until you do."

"I know," Lily said with a slight slur, taking another swig of her second Firewhiskey. "I just never thought I'd have to apologize to James Potter. This is a new low." She giggled, despite the utter lack of humor in her words.

"Lils, that's unfair. I know he's not a great person, but you aren't exactly perfect either. Well, most of the time, you're pretty damn close. Just... not right now." Marlene said.

"I know, it's true, I'm awful. Awful, awful, awful. I said he could never change. That was really rude of me."

"It was, but that doesn't make you awful." Mary said soothingly, rubbing Lily's back. "We love you, okay?"

"Yes it does, it does make me awful!" Lily said. She laughed. "Definitely does."

Lily's friends glanced at each other.

"I think she's had enough Firewhiskey." Dorcas said, and the others nodded in agreement. She turned to Lily. "No more after this, okay?

"Yeah, okay," Lily mumbled, still giggling slightly. "Don't wanna make a fool of myself."

Dorcas chuckled. "That wouldn't be good, would it?"

* * *

The Marauders were once again in their shared dormitory, talking instead of sleeping.

"I can't believe Lily would do that. She's the nicest person I know." Remus frowned.

"Thanks a lot!" Peter huffed jokingly.

Sirius placed a hand on Remus's shoulder, ignoring Peter. "I don't think any of us think she'd do that."

Remus smiled softly. "Thanks, Pads." 

"Don't mention it, Moony."

James cleared his throat. "Okay, lovebirds, that was nice, but we have things to discuss."

Sirius and Remus moved away from each other, reddening.

"Shut _up_ , James." Remus muttered.

"Ah, you know it's true. But anyway, why do you reckon Lily said that?"

"Well, if I'm guessing correctly, I'd say she was rather pissed at you, mate." Sirius smirked.

Both Remus and Peter snapped at Sirius. "Shut up!"

"It's true, though."

Remus ignored him. "I know Lily, and she wouldn't usually say a thing like that. The Severus thing hit her really hard. I mean, he was her best friend since before first year. That really hurt."

James simply nodded.

Remus continued. "Look, I don't believe she meant it, okay? In fact, I bet she'll even apologize. That was really awful of her, I know, but if I know Lily, she'll feel awful about it, okay?"

"Thanks, mate. You're amazing." James smiled at Remus. "You're actually helpful, unlike _these_ prats!"

He threw a pillow at Sirius, who gasped exaggeratedly, and one at Peter, who yelped in indignation.

Both pillows were hurled back at him, and soon, a full-blown pillow war was taking place. (Because things like this often happened, they had Silencing charms to protect them from McGonagall's wrath.)

They all felt significantly better when they finally lay down to go to sleep. 

* * *

Remus was right, of course. Lily would apologize during breakfast the very next day. She nervously walked over to where the Marauders were seated, accompanied by her friends, who were smiling at her and reassuring her.

_It's going to be okay._

_He's, like, obsessed with you, right? He isn't going to hate you just like that._

_Remus is your friend, right? He'll make it easier._

_We're here for you._

Lily felt so grateful for her friends, who were supporting her despite her not being herself lately, despite her having been rude. They were helping her. They knew this wasn't her.

The five girls approached the table.

"Hey," Lily said.

Four heads turned toward her. James offered her a small smile, making Lily feel hopeful. Maybe he really didn't hate her.

"Hi Lily, how are you?" Remus said with a smile.

"I... I need to apologize!" Lily blurted out. She could've sworn Remus shot the other Marauders an ' _I told you so'_ smirk. "I shouldn't have said what I said. It was unfair of me to say you couldn't change, or that you wouldn't even try. I'm so sorry. If you want to try to change... I support that. I really think you could if you wanted to." She smiled a strained-looking, nervous sort of smile. 

James grinned. "Really?"

"Really."

"I'm really glad you apologized, Lily flower. That must have been really hard, since it's me you apologized to." He smirked. "I'm really glad you believe I can change. If I get better, maybe we could be friends."

"I think I'd like that," she smiled. "I'm going to eat breakfast with my friends, bye James."

As she and her friends were starting to walk away, Remus shot her a smile that seemed to say, _you did good_.

She smiled back. Her friends kept telling her that she did awesome, that James seemed like he really did want to change, that it went really well. Lily agreed with all of those things.

A week ago, she never would have believed she could ever think this, but maybe Remus was right. Maybe the Marauders weren't so bad after all.

* * *

The next day during her free period, Lily was in the library, a stack of books the wanted to read beside her.

Remus burst through the library doors, for once not accompanied by the Marauders. "Lily," he whisper-shouted, looking panicked. "I need help."

She motioned for him to come over to where she was seated. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

"I think... I think I'm in love with Sirius."

Lily couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "I knew it."

Remus looked shocked. "You... you did?

Lily shrugged. "Yeah. You always blush when he touches you, puts his arm around your shoulder or something. You stare at him sometimes, too. It's pretty obvious."

"Oh shit, it is?" Remus looked even more panicked.

"Calm down, Rem, don't worry. I guarantee James, Peter, and Sirius don't even have a clue. They're so oblivious."

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course." Lily smiled reassuringly. "I'm completely sure."

"Thanks Lils, you're the best." Remus still looked a little on edge, but much less so. 

"Don't mention it, Remus." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that was okay! As always, (nice!) constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a flipping roll! I don't think I've ever stuck with a fanfiction this long. I'm really trying, guys. This fic sucks ass but I'm proud of myself for committing.

Lily was still a little reluctant about James. Of course she was, she wasn't just going to change what she thought about him just like that; she'd spent almost five years hating his guts, for Merlin's sake. But he had been acting a lot nicer lately- as if something in him really _had_ changed on that fateful day. She wanted to think he could change, but she obviously still had her reservations- who wouldn't? However, she wanted to believe he could change, and he truly seemed like he wanted to. 

Her internal debate was interrupted by a knock on the dormitory door. "Hey Lils, can I come in? It's Mary!"

"Sure, come in!" Lily sat up on her bed and Mary walked in, grinning.

"Guess what? The Marauders invited me, you, Marlene, Alice, and Dorcas for a big picnic by the lake! It's in an hour." she announced.

"Oh, cool!" Lily smiled. _This could be fun_ , she thought. _Maybe they'll explain why they were such bullies, and maybe even further prove that they really_ did _want to change._

"Alice is taking her boyfriend, but other than him, it's just us nine. I'm going to bring cookies. I made them myself, they're delicious." Mary said with a giggle.

"You're certainly happy about this," Lily smiled. "Could it be because of Peter?"

"Shut up!" Mary blushed. Lily grinned. She knew Mary had a not-so-secret crush on Peter Pettigrew. Lily thought they'd be really cute together. Peter was a nice guy. 

"Mary, we both know it's true," Lily said. "Want me to help you pick out an outfit?"

"Okay," Mary was still blushing. "Thanks, Lils. You're the best."

"I know," Lily joked. "Now, I'm thinking a light blue blouse, to bring out your eyes, maybe with some flats and a gray skirt..."

* * *

Lily and Mary walked toward the Lake, Mary smiling nervously while Lily grinned at her reassuringly. 

Frank, Alice, Marlene, and Dorcas were already there, chatting lightly. Frank and Alice were holding hands, looking flustered and happy. Saying Lily was happy for them was an understatement. They'd been pining after each other since third year, and Alice had only just mustered up the courage to ask Frank out. 

Lily and Mary sat down with the other four, waiting for the Marauders, who were late as always.

"Where are they?" Dorcas mused.

"Probably trying to be _fashionably_ late," Lily said with a smirk. "They think it makes them seem cool."

A voice spoke up from behind them. "We don't _think_ we're cool, Lily flower, we _know_ we're cool."

It was James, who was, as always, accompanied by the other three Marauders. They had been approaching Lily and the others while they chatted. They sat down with them.

"We're the coolest," Sirius said with a wink.

"I'm so cool! I think my hair makes me qualify as a god! The Marauders control the whole school because we're amazing!" Lily spoke in a horrible impression of Sirius.

"Hey! I don't sound anything like that!"

"Then how did you know I was imitating you?" 

"Because of the thing about the hair, obviously. I have the best hair here. You're right, Evans, my hair is godlike! It's too amazing for this world. It's-"

"-dumb."

Everyone but Sirius laughed, and even Sirius looked like he was fighting back a grin.

"So. We're here to, uh, talk about recent events." Remus said. "First of all, we would all like to once again apologize for our... pranks. I'm sorry for sitting by and letting it happen. I should've done something. I should've told them when they were going too far." Remus hung his head. He looked ashamed.

Sirius put a comforting arm around them and he smiled. Lily had a fleeting thought: _Why don't they just realize that they're super gay for each other?_ James's voice snapped her out of her frustration over her friends' obliviousness.

"I'm sorry we played such dangerous pranks. I still think that most pranks are, y'know, okay, but we took it too far." James admitted. "Of course, we can't stop pranking people- that's our thing!- but we'll try to stop doing such hurtful ones, okay?"

"You've opened our eyes to how awful we were, Lily. However will we thank you?" Sirius said dramatically, fluttering his eyelashes. 

"You can thank me by shutting up." Lily retorted.

"Ouch."

Everyone laughed. Lily thought it was rather pleasant, hanging out with all of them.

She still didn't understand, however, how they had been so awful in the past, and how they had changed so quickly. _It's possible,_ she thought, _that the Severus incident finally made them realize how awful they were._

"So, Mary brought cookies," Lily said. "Did anyone else bring anything?"

All four of the Marauders grinned. "We brought a little something."

James reached into a rather small drawstring bag he'd brought and started pulling flasks of Butterbeer and pumpkin juice, neatly-wrapped pies and cakes, and more treats from it. 

Lily, Mary, Marlene, Frank, Alice, and Dorcas gaped at him. 

"How-" Marlene started.

"Undetectable Extension Charm." Sirius answered with a grin. 

"Nice." Mary said, impressed.

They chatted and laughed while they ate, joking and telling stories. Lily saw Mary shyly talking to Peter and smiled. This was actually pretty fun.

Lily didn't think she forgave them yet- what they did was awful- but she thought she was starting to. Her view of them was so _different_ than it had been about a week ago. She realized that they weren't as bad as she thought. They weren't perfect, not by a long shot, but they weren't nearly as bad as she'd thought.

When they parted ways, everyone seemed happy with how the picnic went. Lily considered that a huge success.

* * *

It had been a good day in Lily's book, and her day further improved when Mary showed up at Lily's dormitory. She loved talking to Mary about random things. It didn't really matter what they talked about; they were best friends. On that particular day, Mary had exciting news.

"Lily!" Mary burst through Lily's door, grinning. "Peter asked me out! He's my boyfriend now!"

"That's amazing!" Lily beamed. "You guys are going to be the cutest couple ever! Can I be your maid of honor?"

"Ugh, Lily, shut up!" Mary groaned, but she was smiling and blushing. 

"Ooh, now I should help _you_ get a boyfriend? What about Remus?"

"He's gay, Mary."

"Oh." 

They started laughing. 

"Wait- so if he's gay, maybe he should date Sirius."

"I swear to Merlin, they are madly in love with each other but won't admit it. They're such _idiots_." 

"Oh shit," she said with a chuckle. "Oh, by the way, Marlene and Dorcas definitely fancy each other."

"I know!" Lily laughed. "It's so obvious! I mean, just make out already!"

"Honestly!"

They laughed and chatted idly for a bit.

Then Mary said, "So, not Remus... how about James?" 

"Oh my Merlin, no!" Lily snorted. "Maybe I hate him less, but that doesn't mean there's even a _chance_ of me dating him!" 

Well, you saw the tags on this fic, so you know that Lily couldn't be more damn wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't the disaster I think it was! I have this horrible tendency to be an irresponsible person and not edit my work. I should probably start doing that.  
> By the way, I feel like Peter used to be a good kid, okay? I don't think he was always "bad."


	5. Not actually a chapter

Holy shit. This story sucks ass. It's absolutely awful. I apologize to anyone who wasted their precious time reading this. I don't know what I'll do with this story, I could get one of my friends to co-author it so it isn't so sucky? I don't know.


End file.
